Congressman pitches in at Corvallis couple's home

By Matt Neznanski

Gazette-Times reporter

Jennifer and Brian Rosenbalm are taking the notion of government help to whole new levels.

On Wednesday morning, U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader showed up to help a crew install insulation in the family's south Corvallis home.

Thanks to the latest economic stimulus, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and a host of weatherization grants available to low-income families, the Rosenbalms and their three children are looking forward to a warm home.

"The only catch is that you have to let people in to see that you do need help," Jennifer Rosenbalm said. "Once they see that you're not lying, the money is there."

Schrader is in his first term in the 5th Congressional District seat long held by Darlene Hooley before her retirement. He came to Corvallis on Wednesday to meet with Corvallis Mayor Charles Tomlinson and the Benton County Board of Commissioners. He spoke about how stimulus grants, such as the weatherization money, help families save money on utility costs, while creating jobs for installers, too.

"Too often you hear that government never does anything right or you never see any benefit," Schrader said. "This is to help people like Brian get through these tough times and make your tax dollars real for you."

Schrader was talking about Brian Rosenbalm, who lost his job at Hewlett-Packard in Corvallis during a wave of layoffs back in 2005. At the time, he was eligible for federal job-training assistance because the work was sent overseas. He earned an associate's degree and then went on to get his bachelor's degree in business management.

So far, however, he and his wife have been unable to find steady work. They make ends meet through some freelance photography, selling cosmetics and other odd jobs.

Community Services Consortium, a local nonprofit working in Linn, Benton and Lincoln counties, has been there to find assistance for such families.

Martha Lyon, executive director of the consortium, said ARRA funding will nearly double the agency's ability to help homeowners cut energy bills. She said about 16,000 houses in the three-county area are eligible for the grant money and hopes to help about 10,000 of them.

The consortium also has plans to work with people to build businesses, perhaps installing insulation in homes such as the Rosenbalms'.

Schrader said he is among the representatives working on a bill to standardize the tax deduction for home offices, and he is spreading the word about how the money is being spent.

More information online

• To read more about federal grants available for weatherization, small businesses, consumer tax credits and more, download a pdf guide to ARRA programs at schrader.house

.gov/uploads/Schrader_Guidebook.pdf.

• For local information on job and homeowner grants, see Community Services Consortium's Web site at www.csc.gen.or.us/.

• To learn about work force development options, see the Linn, Benton, Lincoln Workforce Investment Board Web site: region4wib.org

Matt Neznanski can be reached at 758-9518 or matt.neznanski@lee.net.